Since 1981, NIU’s Presidential Commission for the Status of Women has worked to advise the president on issues concerning women.

Lactation rooms, child care, salary equity, sexual harassment and gender balance hiring are some of the issues and policies the commission addresses and implements.

“We really work to get out to all parts of campus so all issues that can be addressed are addressed,” said Stacy Allie, commission chair and assistant athletic director.

The commission consists of four sub-committees: campus climate and quality of life, research, awards and recognitions and personal professional development.

All full-time faculty members go through a vigorous review in their sixth year, when they either get promoted to assistant professor, thus earning tenure. At this point they either earn tenure or are fired. The research committee currently is working on a stop-the-clock tenure policy, which would allow a faculty member that just had a child to take leave without being penalized for missed work time.

“At NIU, if someone has a baby or adopts a child, they can take a year of unpaid absence or stay on contract,” said William Minor, member of the advisory commission and sociology department chair. “The problem with that is it’s very hard to maintain an aggressive research program when you’re a new parent, true for men and women, but especially for women.”

Minor thinks the stop-the-clock policy is encouraging for faculty.

“I’ve watched a lot of junior faculty try to do research, have a family and earn tenure,” he said. “In a number of cases, people have made explicit choices either not to have children or delay it until they earn tenure. I don’t think people should be forced to make that decision.”

Minor said the policy should be implemented within a year or two.

Other policies currently in progress include contraceptive coverage in NIU insurance plans.

“It seems inappropriate to us that the insurance plans cover Viagra but don’t cover contraceptives,” Minor said.

Future projects include a salary equity study.

Minor said they are setting up an infrastructure so they can do an equity study on a regular basis to find salaries out of line and make corrections.

The commission also tries to network with students and faculty.

The personal professional development sub-committee brings in guest speakers to inspire faculty and staff at their network luncheons every month in Adams Hall’s Chandelier Room.

“It’s an incredible event where we have some outstanding women on campus and from the community,” Allie said. “We create an event where women can network and hear the outstanding accomplishments of the women from the university and community.”

The commission also has sponsored five empowering women conferences. It meets once a month to discuss developments and at the end of the year, distributes a report to the president.

“We meet with the president when needed,” said Betty Baugh, a member of the commission since 1985.

Cary Groth, NIU’s athletic director and member of the Illinois Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women, thinks the climate for women on campus is healthy.

“The philosophy taken is to provide opportunity for everyone for people from diverse backgrounds whether male or female,” Groth said.

Groth is one of six females working in her department.

“I am fortunate to work at a university that steps out of the norms,” Groth said. “Particularly in hiring women in non-traditional roles.”

The commission currently is collecting nominees for the Stricklen and Outstanding Women awards and will accept solicitations for its Women Journalism Award in January. The deadline for submission of nominations for the award is Dec. 21. Nominees must be faculty, graduate students or third-year law students. Students can submit any published work on any issue regarding the status of women.

The commission also will accept requests from NIU staff and students regarding policies on the status of women. The request must be in writing submitted to chair, Stacy Allie.

For more information, call the University Resources for Women at 753-0320.